Pryor Creek council recommends $25,000 change order to cover concrete façade on Cemetery Hill retaining wall

The Pryor Creek City Council recommended a $25,000 change order to install a 4-inch reinforced concrete façade over the recently installed retaining blocks at Cemetery Hill, after staff and the contractor reported the recycled blocks submitted did not match the approved submittal.

Council chair Autumn Graybill asked staff to present the project issues before the vote. The engineer and staff showed packet photos and plans and explained that graves near the top of the slope and an existing capped waterline constrained excavation and prevented a deeper engineered wall; the existing design called for roughly an 8-foot face, not a full 20-foot vertical structure. "We rejected it," the engineer said of the delivered blocks, noting multiple dimensional and color inconsistencies and cold joints compared with the submittal.

Contractor Chris proposed pouring a 4-inch formed concrete facing anchored into the existing block work to create a uniform finish and to fill the voids so the block units would be locked in place. "It cost me about $26,000 for materials, labor, and everything to build that wall and place it in front of there," Chris said; he later agreed to a reduced figure and the contractor and staff described anchoring, rebar and vibrated concrete work to achieve a consistent finish.

Council members and staff framed the work as primarily aesthetic but said the façade would also help lock the irregular recycled blocks and fill voids. The engineer confirmed drainage (a perforated drain pipe and class A rock backfill) is in place and said the façade would not be the primary structural element but would consolidate the face and reduce the risk of pieces catching or shifting.

The motion to recommend a $25,000 change order for the concrete façade was moved and seconded and recorded by roll call; the council voted in the meeting to forward the change order recommendation to the full council agenda for final action. Staff said the item would be added to Tuesday night's council agenda as an addendum so the full council could consider the change order.